Shipping container

ABSTRACT

A pasteboard shipping container is provided for a tray, the tray being of the type having particular utility in the handling of mail, and the container serving as a carton for enabling the tray to be shipped by air, rail, or other means. The pasteboard container of the invention has the ability of being sealed so as to prevent access by unauthorized persons to the mail loaded in the tray contained in the container, and of being folded flat when not in use. The container of the invention is non-adhesively sealed at both ends after the tray has been inserted in it, to prevent access, and yet to permit the container to be reusable. The container may be made up easily and quickly to receive the tray, without any need for extraneous tools.

Wilson Oct. 28, 1975 SHIPPING CONTAINER Inventor:

Filed:

App]. No.2 482,454

James D. Wilson, Newport Beach, Calif.

Assignee: Banner Metals Division, Intercole Automation, Inc., Compton,Calif.

June 24, 1974 US. Cl. 229/9; 229/19; 229/39 Int. Cl. B65D 5/38; B65D13/06 Field of Search 229/38, 39, 9; 206/807;

292/DIG. 32

4/1938 Guyer 229/39 R 10/1973 l-lardy, Sr 229/9 Primary Examiner-DavisT. Moorhead Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Jessup & Beecher [57] ABSTRACT Apasteboard shipping container is provided for a tray, the tray being ofthe type having particular utility in the handling of mail, and thecontainer serving as a carton for enabling the tray to be shipped byair, rail, or other means. The pasteboard container of the invention hasthe ability of being sealed so as to prevent access by unauthorizedpersons to the .mail loaded in the tray contained in the container, andof being folded flat when not in use. The container of the invention isnon-adhesively sealed at both ends after the tray has been inserted init, to prevent access, and yet to permit the container to be reusable.The container may be made up easily and quickly to receive the tray,without any need for extraneous tools.

1 Claim, 2 Drawing Figures US. Patent Oct. 28, 1975 FIG. 2

SHIPPING CONTAINER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The container of theinvention has particular utility for use in conjunction with thecorrugated tray described in copending application Ser. No. 447,821filed Mar. 4, 1974 in the name of the present inventor. As described inthe copending application, the corrugated tray has utility in carryingmail from a main post office to sub-station post offices, and for theshipment of mail by air, or by other means. As noted above, thecontainer of the present invention provides a convenient shipping cartonfor such a tray.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective representationof the corrugated tray described in the copending application; and

FIG. 2 is a perspective representation of the pasteboard shippingcontainer of the present invention, in one of its embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS The tray shown inFIG. 1 is designated 10, and it has a rectangular configuration, asshown. The tray may be constructed as mentioned above, in the mannerdescribed in the copending application. The tray 10 has the feature inthat it may be formed of pasteboard, or similar material, and it isconstructed so that its sides may be held rigid in an upright positionwithout the need for adhesives, or for any other reinforcing means.

When the tray 10 is loaded with mail, and is to be shipped by air, or byother means, it may be enclosed by the pasteboard shipping container ofthe present invention, so that the contents of the tray may be heldintact, and so that pilfering may be prevented.

As shown in FIG. 2, the shipping container 12 of the invention has agenerally rectangular shape. The container 12 is formed of corrugatedpasteboard, or other appropriate material. The container folds flat whennot in use, and it makes up readily and quickly to the configurationshown in FIG. 2, without the need for tools. When the container issquared up to the illustrated position of FIG. 2, the left-hand end inFIG. 2 is closed, by turning up an end flap 14, and by turning in twoend flaps, such as the end flap 16. A further flap 18 is formed integralwith the outer edge of the end flap l4, and it is folded into a slot 20in the upper wall of the container 12.

The tray 10, loaded with mail or other material, is then slipped throughthe right-hand end of the container 12, and past the end portion 18a ofthe flap 18, which protrudes down into the interior of the containerthrough the slot 20. The tray causes the end portion 18a to be foldedback into the position shown by the dotted lines in FIG. 2, so that itis essentially parallel to the outer portion of the flap.

When the end portion 18a of the flap 18 is bent back to its parallelposition, there is no way in which the lefthand end of the shippingcontainer can be opened,

without physically tearing the corrugated material. However, when thetray 10 is removed, the flap 18 can again be pulled out of the slot 20,and the container can be again folded flat for reuse.

When the tray 10 is fully inserted in the shipping container 12, a pairof side flaps 22 and 24 can be turned in across the right-hand end, andan upper flap 26 can be turned down to enclose the end. A further bottomflap 28 can be turned over the flap 26, and the flaps 28 and 26 can besealed to one another by usual railroad seals, which can be insertedthrough appropriate holes in the flaps, such as the hole 30, so that theright-hand end of the shipping container also may be tamper proof.

The invention provides, therefore, a relatively simple and inexpensiveshipping container constructed of pasteboard, or the like, and whichserves as a convenient shipping carton for mail trays, or the like. Thecontainer of the invention has the feature in that both its ends may beappropriately non-adhesively sealed to prevent tampering, and yet thecontainer may be readily reusable. The container also has the feature ofbeing capable of being folded flat when not in use to facilitate storageand shipment of the container itself.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been shown anddescribed, modifications may be made. It is intended in the claims tocover the modifications which come within the true spirit and scope ofthe invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A rectangular shipping container for a tray, or the like, formed ofpasteboard, or the like, comprising: spaced and parallel top and bottompanels, and spaced and parallel side panels formed integral with the topand bottom panels, the top panel having a transverse slot adjacent oneend thereof; an upturned end flap formed integral with the one end edgeof the bottom panel to enclose said one end edge of the container; afirst pair of side flaps integral with the side edges of said end flapand turned inwardly into said one end of the container when said endflap encloses said one end of the container; a tab integral with theupper edge of the end flap extending across the outer surface of the toppanel and into the slot therein, the end portion of the tab extendingthrough the slot into the interior of the container to be folded backagainst the inner surface by the action of a tray sliding past theinwardly projecting end of the tab, thereby sealing said one end of thecontainer as long as the tray remains therein and unsealing said one endof said container when the tray is removed; a second pair of side flapsintegral with the other end edge of the container to extend across theother end of the container; a further end flap formed integral with theother end edge of the container to be turned over the side flaps of thesecond pair and enclose said other end of the container; a bottom flapintegral with the other end edge of the container to be turned up oversaid further end flap and to be sealed to said further end flap; andseal-receiving means attached to said further end flap.

1. A rectangular shipping container for a tray, or the like, formed ofpasteboard, or the like, comprising: spaced and parallel top and bottompanels, and spaced and parallel side panels formed integral with the topand bottom panels, the top panel having a transverse slot adjacent oneend thereof; an upturned end flap formed integral with the one end edgeof the bottom panel to enclose said one end edge of the container; afirst pair of side flaps integral with the side edges of said end flapand turned inwardly into said one end of the container when said endflap encloses said one end of the container; a tab integral with theupper edge of the end flap extending across the outer surface of the toppanel and into the slot therein, the end portion of the tab extendingthrough the slot into the interior of the container to be folded backagainst the inner surface by the action of a tray sliding past theinwardly projecting end of the tab, thereby sealing said one end of thecontainer as long as the tray remains therein and unsealing said one endof said container when the tray is removed; a second pair of side flapsintegral with the other end edge of the container to extend across theother end of the container; a further end flap formed integral with theother end edge of the container to be turned over the side flaps of thesecond pair and enclose said other end of the container; a bottom flapintegral with the other end edge of the container to be turned up oversaid further end flap and to be sealed to said further end flap; andseal-receiving means attached to said further end flap.